Tag Archives: piano

About the Show

Internationally recognized for his vibrant interpretations and brilliant technique, Italian pianist Federico Colli received fantastic press following the release of his initial album for Chandos Records in May 2018. “You can’t but marvel at the sheer quality of his playing – his trills the epitome of crispness, his repeated notes sounding absurdly easy, while his command of dynamic extremes is second to none,” wrote Grammophone about the release dedicated to Domenico Scarlatti’s Piano Sonatas. “Colli’s delicacy … is miraculous,” echoed The Times in a 5-star review. “Roll on the next 16 sonatas, or the full remaining 539.”

Federico first came to prominence after winning the Salzburg Mozart Competition in 2011 and the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2012. Since then, he has been performing with orchestras including the Mariinsky Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, RAI Torino, Orchestra della Toscana, Camerata Salzburg, Polish National Radio Symphony, RTÉ National Symphony and Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira at venues including the Vienna Musikverein and Konzerthaus, Berlin Konzerthaus, Munich’s Herkulessaal, Hamburg’s Laeiszhalle, Paris’s Salle Cortot, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, the Rudolfinum in Prague and Nikkei Hall in Tokyo. In the UK alone, he has performed with the Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Symphony, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the Hallé at the Barbican, Southbank Centre, Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow and Usher Hall in Edinburgh.

The 18/19 seasons sees Federico’s debuts with the Hamburger Symphoniker (Ion Marin) and Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz (Lukasz Borowicz), as well as returns to the Philharmonia Orchestra (Andrew Nethsingha) and the Janáček and Rijeka philharmonics. He makes his recital debuts in New York (Lincoln Center), Berlin (Konzerthaus), Amsterdam (Concertgebouw) and Seoul (Kumho Art Hall), as well as his first appearances at Wigmore Hall and Lucerne Piano Festival, and U.S. orchestra debut with the Stamford Symphony. Earlier this year, he performed at Royal Albert Hall and at the Ravinia Festival.

Federico records exclusively for Chandos Records, with whom he released his first album in May 2018. The second album, with works by Bach and Bach-Busoni, will follow in 2019. To coincide with his debut at the Southbank Centre’s International Piano Series in April 2014, Federico’s debut solo CD, produced by Champs Hill Records, was released to great critical acclaim, featuring works by Beethoven, Scriabin and Mussorgsky. BBC Music Magazine wrote of the disc: “Colli’s captivating ability to illuminate even the most densely packed musical terrain emerges as a structure of supreme logic, propelled rather than merely embellished by mystical ripplings and flutterings.”

Born in Brescia in 1988, Federico studied at the Milan Conservatory, the Imola International Piano Academy and the Salzburg Mozarteum under the guidance of Sergio Marengoni, Konstantin Bogino, Boris Petrushansky and Pavel Gililov. In 2011 he received a ‘Grosso d’Argento’ from the mayor of Brescia in recognition of his artistic achievements, and in 2014 he was selected by International Piano magazine as one of the “30 pianists under 30 who are likely to dominate the world stage in years to come.

About the Show

Pianists Mi-Won Kim and Bari Mort make up this New York metropolitan area piano duo whose name, Sonnet, means four hands in Korean. Originally from Korea and New York respectively, Mi-Won Kim and Bari Mort have successfully merged their inherently different personalities into a musical meeting of the minds.

Both Julliard trained, Mi-Won Kim and Bari Mort are committed to promoting music of contemporary composers, while showcasing traditional repertoire. Miraculously attuned to each other, their appearance at OCC will present a high-spirited, crowd-pleasing program featuring the rustic, ebullient dances of Brahms (Hungarian Dances) and Dvorak (Slovanic Dances).

About the Show

Rarely does an artist come along with the talent, passion, and insight of Dr. Everett N. Jones III. Jones, a gifted pianist, composer, and lecturer, brings a human element to traditional repertoire, uses composition to translate classical music to traditional and nontraditional audiences, and teaches the next generation of musicians the importance of appreciating and preserving history.

Jones was born in Philadelphia, PA and showed a natural talent for music at the age of three. Everett studied at the Settlement Music School and went on to Rowan University on a full scholarship. There, he received a Bachelor’s of Music Degree (Magna Cum Laude) and Master of Music Degree with a 4.0 G.P.A.

Everett continued his education at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. He received a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in piano performance with a cognate in composition, he received performing certificates from several conservatories abroad, and he has over a decade of university teaching experience.

Jones sustains an active performing career throughout the U.S. and abroad playing traditional repertoire and the music of African-American composers. One critic wrote, “Jones has a muscular percussive technique…with technique to spare, the Liszt etudes were tossed off with ease.” Jones has given solo recitals at the Kennedy Center and had his orchestral debut with the Glassboro Community Orchestra performing Grieg’s Piano Concerto. More recently, Jones was a soloist with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and the Mississippi Symphony. As a collaborative pianist, he has worked with many noted musicians and has performed and presented at the American Musicological Society and Music Teachers National Association Conferences.

Jones has pioneered performances of William Grant Still and George Walker at many colleges and universities. He is also a creative and passionate administrator with an expansive artistic knowledgebase and an innate aptitude for developing programs and managing projects. As the Artistic Director of the week-long William Grant Still Music Festival, he wrote and secured a grant by the National Endowment for the Arts to produce and direct concerts at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, the University of Dayton, and other venues. As a leading expert on William Grant Still, Dr. Jones recently edited, performed, and recorded Piano Works for Children and the Complete Piano Works of William Grant Still — a project that has not been done before

As a piano, composition, and education laureate, some awards include: the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) Plus Award, First Prize winner of a National Piano Competition, an Outstanding Teachers Award, and a Faculty Merit Bonus Award. Dr. Jones’ compositions have been performed by soloists, chorus, and concert bands; his writings appear in several published articles, music journals, CD liners, and music scores; and his doctoral thesis, “Intervallic Coherence in Four Piano Sonatas by George Walker”, is the first to examine intervallic projection, set theory, and the resulting tintinnabulation

About the Show

An imaginative and electrifying performer, Zee Zee, is unique among the young generation of pianists. Described as “full of enthusiasm and glamour, radiating the vigor of youth” Chinese Gramophone, her interpretations and communicative abilities have been praised as “taking us to another reality… bright, expressive and moving to the extreme” Belgischer Rundfunk, while her creative maturity has been hailed as “a powerful, passionate and compelling representation of pure artistry” Los Angeles Times.

The 18/19 season sees Zee Zee perform Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Tonhalle Orchestra, in Zurich and at the Shanghai Arts Festival, and Ravel’s Concerto in G with the NHK Symphony Orchestra at the Hong Kong Arts Festival; both projects are led by Paavo Järvi. She returns to the Hangzhou Philharmonic (Edo de Wart), China Philharmonic and Shanghai Symphony (Long Yu) and is the Artist in Residence with the Sichuan Symphony (Darrell Ang). She makes her debuts with the Seattle Symphony (Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 with Pablo Rus Broseta), Fresno Philharmonic (Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 with Rei Hotoda) and the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra (Grieg Piano Concerto with Michael Schønwandt), and appears at the MiTo Festival (Italy), the Gilmore Festival (Kalamazoo, Michigan) and in the SJE Arts Series (Oxford, UK).

In Spring 2019, Universal releases her first album, featuring Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G and Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Paavo Järvi and the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Zee Zee regularly works with some of today’s leading conductors, including Xian Zhang, Marin Alsop, Michał Nesterowicz, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Charles Dutoit and Neeme Järvi. She has performed with leading orchestras, such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, BBC Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Belgian National Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic and Hong Kong Philharmonic, and has given a number of notable recitals, including at the Wigmore Hall in London, Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Lincoln Center in New York, Vancouver Recital Society and Hong Kong’s Premiere Performances. The 16/17 season saw her as the Artist in Residence with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, including on its European tour, and 15/16 marked her final season as a BBC New Generation Artist. In 2014 she gave a live, televised performance at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms.

A passionate chamber musician, Zee Zee also regularly performs with the Z.E.N. Trio, alongside violinist Esther Yoo and cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan. The trio’s next tour will take place in October 2019.

Zee Zee began her musical training in Germany at the age of five. Upon returning to her native China, she became one of the most sought after young artists in the nation, collaborating with the leading Chinese orchestras, with whom she retains a close link. Having completed her piano studies with Dan Zhao Yi at the Shenzhen Arts School, Zee Zee was invited to continue her artistic development under the mentorship of Nelita True at the Eastman School of Music and Yoheved Kaplinsky and Robert McDonald at The Juilliard School, where she won the coveted Petschek Piano Award. Zee Zee was awarded first prizes at China’s 1st International Piano Concerto Competition, the Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition and the Krainev International Piano Competition. She was also a prizewinner at the 2013 Queen Elizabeth Competition. She has studied at the Peabody Institute with Leon Fleisher, and continues to receive guidance from Alfred Brendel.

About the Show

Hailed as “a formidable artist with a commanding presence and rich interpretive gifts,” Armenian-born American pianist Raffi Besalyan is a master of his art and a true heir of the Russian School of pianism. Following his debut in Carnegie Hall, The New York Concert Review described him as “technically brilliant… playing with a great deal of temperament, speed, and power… audacious spirit, poetic substance, and deeply felt tenderness.” Active as a recitalist, orchestral soloist, and chamber musician, critics have praised his piano performances for their virility, poetry and extraordinary technical command.

With an international career that spans multiple continents, Raffi Besalyan comes to OCC with a program entitled “Dances and Transcriptions.” Please join us for an afternoon of pure indulgence, featuring the diabolical virtuosity of Franz Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz, the hair-raising brilliance of Maurice Ravel’s La Valse, Sergei Rachmaninov’s evocative Etude Tableux Op. 39, No. 6 aptly nicknamed “Red Riding Hood” and rhythmically impetuous world of George Gershwin’s ThreePreludes and Rhapsody in Blue among other selections.

About the Show

Rufus Wainwright, one of the great male vocalists, composers, and songwriters of his generation, has released eight studio albums, three DVDs, and three live albums. He has collaborated with artists ranging from Elton John, David Byrne, Robbie Williams Mark Ronson, Joni Mitchell to Burt Bacharach. His album “Rufus Does Judy” recorded at Carnegie Hall in 2006 was nominated for a Grammy.

His acclaimed first opera, Prima Donna, premiered at the Manchester International Festival in July 2009 and has since been presented in London, Toronto and BAM in New York. This summer it will be performed at the Armel Opera Festival in Hungary and Augsburg Theatre in Germany. In 2015, Deutsche Grammaphon released a studio recording of the opera recorded with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Rufus Wainwright celebrated the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death with the release of his latest album Take All My Loves: 9 Shakespeare Sonnets on Deutsche Grammophon worldwide in Spring 2016.

The Canadian Opera Company commissioned Rufus Wainwright’s second opera, about Roman Emperor Hadrian, to premiere in Toronto in the fall of 2018.

VIP Meet & Greet Package Details

Each Rufus Wainwright Meet & Greet Experience Package includes:

1 Premium Seat

1 Meet & Greet and Photo with Rufus Wainwright

1 Exclusive Merch Gift

1 Commemorative VIP Laminate

VIP Legal Notice

All package elements will be rendered invalid if resold. Name changes will be issued at the sole discretion of 23/7 Global. VIP instructions will be sent via email no later than three days (3) prior to the concert. If you do not receive this email three days (3) prior please email info@237global.com. All packages and contents are non-transferable; no refunds or exchanges; all sales are final. All VIP package items and experiences are subject to change. Please note that the information provided at the time of purchase (e-mail and mailing address) is the same information that will be utilized for individual contact requirements where applicable. 23/7 Global, the artist, tour, promoter, ticketing company, venue or any other affiliated parties are not responsible for outdated or inaccurate information provided by the consumer at the time of purchase. If you have any questions regarding your Rufus Wainwright VIP package elements, or have not received your package information within three days (3) of the concert date, please email info@237global.com.